How much spiritual "education" is "necessary"?

[WhiteOwl]

When i started my journey i was collecting a huge pile of books from all different kinds of teachers, but as time has passed i realized that not a lot is necessary to be a happy flourishing human being. It easily ends up becoming too much mind. 

Do you people read a lot or what is your relationship to this?

 

I have some people who i resonate with in a certain period, Vernon Howard right now.

 

 

[Orb]

@WhiteOwl

 

Imo, when it comes to the path, it all comes down to following your intuition. 

 

In trusting intuition, the right teachers and books come up, I don't think there's such thing as a one size fits all path. 

 

People have self realized having never formally meditated, people have self realized after years of formal meditation, people have self realized from curious contemplation, people have self realized just from playfully investigating the Self. 

 

If reading books pops a lot of bubbles for you right now on the path, I think it's fine. 

[Mandy]

I just do what I feel like. I really really love books though. I read almost nothing in the summers and spend a lot of time outdoors, but in the colder months I'll read a lot more. I think that people often just do "mindless" entertainment out of habit without really enjoying it, and reading a good book can be much more intentional and rewarding than scrolling social media or watching TV shows that you aren't really thrilled about, just out of habit. At first picking up "I Am That" instead seems really boring to our judgment, but is usually a lot more satisfying. I don't believe in reading books because of an idea that you're bettering yourself, or because you *should*, that's the best recipe to just gloss over and not really engage with the content. 

[Phil]

On 11/15/2022 at 8:44 AM, WhiteOwl said:

It easily ends up becoming too much mind. 

I very much agree. I would go so far as to suggest anyone pause any spiritual book or video ten seconds in, and notice it’s just thoughts, perception and sensation… and inspect reality directly, and write what’s wanted on the dreamboard. Try as we may, by the end of an hour to hour and a half video, concepts are ‘acquired’, and that thoughts are only apparent is missed. 

 

Also brings to mind how easily the door can be opened to subtle (and sometimes very obvious) manipulation. ‘Back to yourself’ vs ‘I have knowledge or products you need’ ‘teachings’. 

 

Generally speaking… 

I’d favor cleaning diet up and contemplating, in a scientific inspective, investigative manor, why and how it feels better. 

Exercising, and contemplating exactly where this ‘better’ feeling (“endorphins, etc”) is coming from. 

Doing random acts of kindness, and pondering why it feels as it does. 

 

[God]

As long as you don't pay a penny for it, educate yourself all you want.  No harm in finding new perspectives.

[Joseph Maynor]

I don't think anyone can answer this for you.  When you can answer this for yourself that's the only way you'll ever know.  I'll give you my opinion.  I've read a lot and studied a lot.  That obviously had some cash value on my growth.  But in the last several years I've found that people often tell you what they want not who they are in their artworks.  Books are artworks.  I'm more interested in the person's life who wrote the book than their artworks.  I have discovered some golden nuggets through people's artworks that have been hugely influential to me, but lots of fluff too.  Right now on my path I read little but I'm days away from being 45 years old.  I pretty much read throughout my 20's and 30's.  So, there's no easy answer.  Ideas inform being and being informs ideas.  They go together -- they work together.  

Edited November 21, 2022 by Joseph Maynor

[WhiteOwl]

Thanks for the answers everyone. 💟 I think the thing about bettering myself is very true in my case. I have started to doubt the need to read books after i kind of realized i won't or can't really better myself. Its supposed to be all about the fun, and not a serious thing to get me anywhere, i like that. Thank you

[Joseph Maynor]

I would say quite a bit of spiritual work is necessary.  It's true that it's a path.  But it's a path that you have to travel through.  You have to see how the path changes you over a period of time.  Otherwise, it's all theory or ideas.  It took me 8 years basically to get to the point where I feel like I can take or leave teachings.  And that was full on work in development work and spirituality for 8 years pretty rigorously including teaching for at least the last 3 years.  This is just me though.  Maybe others didn't need to do as much work or for as long as me.  Maybe others will have to do more work and longer than me.  All I can say is I no longer feel like I need to chase anything or any teacher.  And there's no perfection either, but I correct myself faster when I do have moments of toxic ego (toxic Masculine) or the inverse toxic no-ego (toxic Feminine).  I no longer feel the need to teach others either which I feel like is an emptying aspect at the end of the path.  There's an entry period, an embodiment period, and a release (emptying) period to spiritual enlightenment work in my experience.  

Edited December 14, 2022 by Joseph Maynor

[arjuna]

None of it is necessary.  

[Joseph Maynor]

On 12/14/2022 at 7:25 PM, arjuna said:

None of it is necessary.  

Spirituality may not be necessary, but necessity isn't necessarily the standard for a good life for you or for me or for her or for it.  And what works for you doesn't necessarily extend to others.  Maybe for you it's not necessary.  You are in no position to speak for others and others are in no position to speak for you at the divine masculine level (my model is being applied as it works for me).  Most people do not understand the feminine which includes relativity nor embody it.  We act like there's one standard that we're all scrambling to find.  That's the masculine who's trying to create an order by minimizing the relative.  This makes sense to me, and I don't think it has to make sense to you except by analogy.

Edited December 25, 2022 by Joseph Maynor

[Phil]

Spiritual education is kind of a misnomer or oxymoron. Like “learning about The Truth”. Doesn’t really make any sense. 

[Joseph Maynor]

@Phil Truth is one of the most trapping words on the path.  I haven't seen another word so trapping.  Yes, truth is essential within your life (and paradoxically it's also not essential), but truth can also cause a person to hunker-down and build a shadow that does them and others no good!   When someone has found truth they're no longer open!  Now, this doesn't always apply because the masculine has to integrate its truth with the feminine no-truth.  But for a lot of people truth is not helping you, it's hindering you.  I see this in myself, but more nowadays moreso in others -- even in people that are lights on the path.  Be careful with truth, it's a give and take, just like most things are.

Edited December 27, 2022 by Joseph Maynor

[Phil]

55 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

@Phil Truth is one of the most trapping words on the path.  I haven't seen another word so trapping.

I agree with that. That’s what’s meant by “learning about the Truth” being a misnomer or oxymoron.  So to speak of course, any one awake is well aware nothing can be known about the Truth. 

55 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

 Yes, truth is essential within your life (and paradoxically it's also not essential), but truth can also cause a person to hunker-down and build a shadow that does them and others no good!  

The Truth can’t truly be said to be the cause of anything. 

55 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

When someone has found truth they're no longer open!  

To what? 

55 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

Now, this doesn't always apply because the masculine has to integrate its truth with the feminine no-truth.  

Not really sure what’s meant there. I’m just talking about the Truth, in the sense ‘spiritual education’, as if anything could be known or learned about the Truth. (Which is absolute.)

55 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

But for a lot of people truth is not helping you, it's hindering you.

And nondual. 

55 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

 I see this in myself, but more nowadays moreso in others -- even in people that are lights on the path.  Be careful with truth, it's a give and take, just like most things are.

And is itself. 

[Loop]

None, Spirituality is the return to the Unborn Child. 
 

[Loop]

Now, how much trauma education is necessary? 
More than we think, there are a lot of people suffering with trauma who go into spirituality.